How to Do the Macaco in Capoeira

Learn how to do the macaco from Capoeira experts Tiba Vieira and Mestre Jelon Vieira in this Howcast video.

Transcript

We are going to go over the macaco, which is a movement that usually is considered a flip. The beauty of the macaco is that you are able to do it in a game, and still within a game. Once we come in to like acrobatics. The macaco can always start like this. (?) is going to demonstrate.

He is going to get himself in to a squat position. Actually, the way he is demonstrating the macaco here is not from the ginga. Eventually, he's going to demonstrate how to do the macaco from ginga, if pretending that he were in a game. Now he is standing there. He is going to place his hand behind you, and swing his legs over. So he is going to jump over and that is the macaco, all the way around.

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All this can be done, again. From there, he is going to go from ginga. So, now if he is doing the ginga, he goes in, and macaco. So basically, you don't have to leave the game. You can always do the macaco. From ginga it is straight in to it. Usually when you apply the macaco, it is very important to make sure you have your hands flat on the floor.

You are going to be pretty much working very hard with your shoulder muscles, and that it is very important for you to engage your hips in to it, in to the swing. Use your legs to push off the floor. From there, it is a single momentum that takes you all the way around. So, as you see (?) has his hand placed there, on the ball of his feet.

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Pretty much he is going to shoot his hips in to the air, and then from there, push with his feet and jump across. Usually, it takes a lot of practice for you to do the macaco. Of course, you won't get it by trying once or twice. You have to try, I would say, a couple of times or even a hundred times. It takes practice. So from there you can push off with your feet. Place your hand on the floor. It is all about momentum, and that is the macaco.